The sight of Pierre Rolland in his matching polka dot jersey and polka dot shorts at the Tour de France may not have been the most fashionable but it proved one thing – the Frenchman is more than capable of mounting a King of the Mountains challenge. Only the supreme form of Nairo Quintana and Chris Froome on the summit finishes denied him the prize at the Tour and his penchant for attacking will likely see him in contention again this time out – if he foregoes any overall ambitions.

Rolland’s 2014 season has been unspectacular to date – particularly when compared to team-mate Thomas Voeckler’s incessant attacking – but Rolland is more than capable. He was part of the race-winning break on stage six of the Volta a Catalunya, while he has produced solid showings, albeit nothing to shout home about, on climbs such as Vallter 2000, La Molina and the Guardiagrele. His climbing ability is undoubted, and his stamina and drive to attack stage after stage has already been proven. Furthermore, Europcar have been arguably the most active team in terms of attacks and breakaways in their first season with a WorldTour license. The only barrier to Rolland will be whether they harbour genuine GC ambitions and prefer to keep him out of the breaks early in the race.